Wounded Hearts
by Half Dime
Summary: After Brittany finally confesses love to Alvin, he rejects her for another girl from his childhood: Charlene. Things are quickly going from bad to worse, until the 'Munks and 'Ettes are forced to disband- forever. Contains, in alphabetical order, AxB; AxC; AxJ; BxT; ExT and JxS. Just get through the first three paragrahs and the story gets better!
1. Chapter 1

**Go'd day, Chaps! Thanks for checking out my new story! I've worked really hard on it and I'd love to hear what you think once you're done reading! Just a few notes before we begin, though: I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with the character of Charlene (the chipette) but for those of you that aren't, she was kind of the Brittany before Brittany. She sang only two songs with Alvin (**_**You're the One That I Want**_** and **_**Crocodile Rock**_**) and made only one cameo appearance in **_**A Chipmunk Christmas**_** before she was ultimately pitched and replaced with Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor. In my version, however, although she is gone, she is still around, and very much a part of this story. Anyway, enough with the authors notes! Just read, review, subscribe and/or enjoy!**

Cutting between the great pine of the mossy wood, stretching along the giant oak and maple, lays a small river. The bank draws close to the golden foothills, meandering amongst the grassy plains and the unattended thickets on the opposite side. The water is nice and cool too, for the recumbent branches that arch the stream overcast a shadow, blocking out the raw sunlight. Among these were the willow trees, fresh with green every spring, carrying in their lower limbs the algid debris of winter, and the apple, rich with sweet fruit later in the season. But it is not spring. So the willows are not frosted over, and the apples are not lush with blossoms.

There is a shallow basin where the water is deposited at rivers end. Muddy brown by day and moon green by night, this pond is home of the bass and the carp, often being pierced with the ruckus of young children enjoying luxurious swims in early summer. But neither is it summer. So the pond, for all intentional purposes, is still.

In reality, it is mid-autumn, somewhere between late September and early October. On the sandy bank, the khaki green of the canicule is beginning to shrivel, molting into shades of dull yellow, orange, and brown. The mist of the remaining summer rays coils through the branches, dotting the earth below, as a sample of the coming winter breeze presents itself. With it, some more leaves sidle down to their tranquil resting place upon the muddy trail beneath. For a brief moment the place was lifeless, and then suddenly, without warning, came the sound of footsteps treading on the crisp sycamore leaves, followed by four figures emerging from further down the road.

"So…" the girl in the middle of the group started, "it's been a few days… right?" She paused, as if expecting some kind of response, but continued casually when no one answered. "So, like, is it really weird? I know if I'd rejected Simon, I'd be sooo miserable! I'd probably spend all my time trying to avoid him. It'd be so awkward! But at least you two are still talking, right?"

"Jeanette?" began the blue clad boy she was holding hands with, "They've been avoiding each other all day."

For the first time the girl, Jeanette, seemed to take notice of the fact that the boy and the girl she was trying to talk to were walking on opposite sides of her and Blue Clad, distancing themselves from the others as much as would allow, about two feet each. They both had a face of lament; eyes pained yet expressionless, mouth bent into solemn depression, heads down, regarding nothing but the windblown leaves. She considered this, before casually wandering behind the boy and shoving him toward the auburn haired girl on the other side of the path. "Talk to her!" she instructed.

After he regained his footing, the boy glared at the girl he was forced upon before turning back to Jeanette and retorting, "This is so stupid. Nothing she says is going to change my mind."

"It's okay," Auburn Hair breathed, just barely loud enough for everyone to hear. Her head was still dropped down, now focused on an isolated leaf of ashen as she continued, "I understand. But I just have to know one thing: can someone who lives hundreds of miles away- someone you haven't seen in years- really matter more to you then me?"

He sighed. "Yes. Yes, Brittany, she can." Brittany, the auburn haired girl, gasped, as a single, salty tear slipped down her cheek and paused at the edge of her chin. She let out a sharp, bitter wail, agitating the teardrop, before she wiped it away with a swift stroke of the hand. Almost all of the boy's experience with people crying had been with Brittany- but she was generally prone to big, long, dramatic sobs. Although he would never get used to her crying, he had become fairly good at tuning all that out. But this tear… this single, salty tear…

"Here, Britt." He rested his arm on her shoulder, then guided her stumbling body over to a fallen log upon the lakeshore. They both sat down, as she folded her hands together, looking down at her lap. "Look, Brittany…" He put his arm out as though he was going to pull her close, but then retreated, thinking better of it. "You're a great girl, you really are, it's just- well, you see, I already have a girlfriend, and, I don't know- I just can't think of anything that involves you…" She sniffled, as though trying to repress her remaining tears. He watched with great sadness, but still managed to let a fake, encouraging smile find its way to his face. "Hey, hey. There, there. It's okay, Britt. It really is no big deal."

"Quit referring to my feelings as 'no big deal!'" she howled.

"Wait… What?" He shook his head in disorientation.

She was looming over him now, driving her index finger into his neck. In wild bewilderment, he fell backward on the log, plummeting into the sand. "You heard me! Quit referring to my feelings as no big deal!"

"Whoa! Brittany…"

"I'm doing just fine without you, Alvin! I don't need you!"

It took the boy, Alvin, a few seconds to fully comprehend what she had just said. Her thoughts and arguments were all over the place, and, in his mind, totally irrelevant to each other. But when understanding finally did come, he growled under his breath, "Bull s***…"

"What'd you say?" she demanded.

"Bull s***!" he accused, as he sprang up to join her at standing level.

She flinched in time, but quickly regained her composure when she realized just how deep his scowl was running, just how serious this was becoming. "Oh, what do you know?"

"Just about everything about you! Get it through your thick head!"

"Don't talk to me like that!"

"This is how you've treated me all this time! All these years! I try to do something nice for you, and I wind up regretting it later!"

"I have not!"

"Have too!"

"Have not!"

"Shut up!" He lunged forward, knocking her to the ground. The sand beneath her erupted upon contact, fading quickly in a cloud of smoke. There was perfect stillness for a fleeting moment, as Alvin looked from her quivering body to his now unclean hands. _What have I done?_ he asked himself.

"Fine… I understand- you hate me." she muttered. All remained silent as she picked herself up, brushed off her skirt and continued down the path, as calmly as if nothing had ever happened. She acknowledged no one as she walked past Alvin, Jeanette and Blue Clad, but kept her eyes amble, unwavering and straight ahead.

They let her get a few steps away before Jeanette latched onto Alvin arm. "Follow her!" she demanded. "Well, what are you waiting for? Follow her!" He scowled in response, just long enough to let the fowl taste of his anger brush against her lips, and slowly spread across her tongue, but not long enough to get into any more skirmishes. As her grip on his arm loosened, he yanked himself away, and then stormed back up the path, in the same direction they had come from. "You jerk…" she mumbled. "You jerk-ity, jerk, jerk, jerk!"

"Jeanette," Blue Clad wrapped his arm around Jeanette's waist, "you can't make him do anything he doesn't want to do." There was a long pause before she finally sighed in agreement. "Come on," he whispered. "You go after Brittany, I'll go after Alvin."

* * *

><p><em>"…did you have a fight?" the boy in the emerald-green polo asked.<em>

_"No…" Alvin replied._

_"Did you fail a test?" guessed Blue Clad._

_"We're barely two weeks into school."_

_"Did you…" Emerald began, desperately trying to think of other reasons why Alvin might be so miserable. It was fairly __apparent __though that if they were all the way down to failed-tests, they had pretty much covered everything. "Just tell us!"_

_"I told you before. It's none of your business."_

_"We're gonna find out somehow…" Emerald threatened._

_Alvin turned his back toward the others. "Hmm. I'd like to see you try."_

_"Alvin, you idiot!" Three girls were suddenly looming over the boys, the shortest pounding her fist against the table at which they sat. "How could you be so stupid? How could you say no?" For someone so kind, so sweet, so compassionate, she was acting surprisingly hostile. Her naturally gentle face was painted with angry colors, and an overpowering scowl that lacked all hopes of reasoning. She forced her hands back on her hips, agitating her lime-green sundress as she fumed, "This was like, your chance to end all the stupid melodrama, but there you go again: looking for just another way to drag it on!"_

_"What happened?" asked Blue Clad._

_Sundress scoffed before persisting. "This dimwit," she started, gesturing towards Alvin, "Brittany finally had the guts to tell him how she feels and he rejects her!"_

_"I was being honest!"_

_Blue Clad tilted his head, considering all this. "…but you do love her, don't you? Then why'd you-"_

_"Charlene! Why do I always have to repeat myself?"_

_"So you traded Brittany in for your little imaginary girlfriend?" Emerald laughed. Despite everything that was going on, he __suddenly __seemed amused._

_Alvin shifted his body to face, and to glare at, Emerald. "You knew Charlene when she was still here, Theodore!"_

_The boy in the emerald polo, Theodore, smiled coldly. A few weeks earlier, he had accidently stumbled upon the fact that Alvin got really irritated whenever Charlene was referred to as "fake", and since had gone to great lengths to bring it up in every conversation, relevant or not. He knew this wasn't true though, for he, himself, had some experiences dealing with Charlene years before. But opportunities to really annoy his brother rarely came around, so he would try to make the most of them whenever possible. "So she does exist? Prove it."_

_"If it'll make you stop saying she's fake." Alvin fished his wallet from his back pocket, and withdrew a 2½ by 3 ½ from inside. He handed it to Theodore, and watched as his face changed from mocking to gawking._

_"You're dating this girl?" Alvin nodded. "No wonder you can wait-she's gorgeous."_

_"Can I see the photo?" asked Sundress._

_"Can I keep the photo?" Theodore joked._

_"No! Give it back!"_

_The girl on the outskirts of the sextet watched as Alvin repeatedly lunged for the picture, which Theodore would playfully pull inches out of reach. For some reason, this seemed to upset her. "Whatever…" she muttered._

_The second of the three girls, Jeanette, turned to face the person who had just spoke. Up until then, Jeanette had been watching the others from a safe distance, analyzing them with her arms crossed and her lips pierced. But now she turned, seemingly making it the first time anyone took notice of the last girl, Brittany. "I'm sorry, Britt. Will you be okay?"_

_"It doesn't matter now, does it?" Tears began to weld up in her eyes. "I… I regret it."_

_"No, don't. He was bound to find out eventually. At least now you know. Now you can move on. There are plenty of other boys out there." She coaxed Brittany out of her seat and started to lead her from the arguing. "Come on. I'll buy you a soda."_

_"Why are you doing this for me?" Brittany managed between sobs._

_"Because despite what you may believe, Alvin isn't your only friend in the world."_


	2. Chapter 2

**First of all, I just want to say that if you're an old reader (meaning you read the first chapter before today) and jumped to Chapter 2 without re-reading Chapter 1, STOP! I made some additions to the last chapter, IMPORTANT additions, which you need to know about before continuing. So, if you fit the description above, please go back and re-read; otherwise you're going to be REALLY confused later on.**

**Secondly (a little less importantly) after looking over the first chapter, I realized something: Jeanette was acting spunky. Like, ridiculously, uncharacteristically spunky. Keeping this in mind, I tried to re-work the story a little to fit her personality better, but realized I couldn't, for two reasons: 1st, I need her to be strong-willed in order to properly support Brittany later; and 2nd, despite what the CGI's claim, I always imagined Jeanette would get a little feisty in her teenage years; at least when she really cares about something; like Simon, her sisters, or her grades. So I just wanted to say I was sorry; no one likes it when their favorite characters are tampered with, but it truly was unavoidable. I do believe that's it for now… So sit back, relax, and enjoy the second part of "Wounded Hearts."**

He walked until he was around the first corner; then broke into a sprint. His feet pounded against the rough gravel and mud, as he headed back through the forest up to the main road. In the background, someone was calling his name, but he hardly noticed. The voices in his head were too distracting. _Talk to her- no big deal- you hate me._ The words resounded in his ears like a rusted old bell. _I love you-what am I- if I said no. _He ran until he was stumbling, but dared not rest; knowing somehow that running was the only thing separating him from his guilt. It was all him now. He had to keep going.

"Alvin! Wait up!"

Without turning around, he stopped in his tracks, hesitating. "I'm not going to spend my entire life following her… Trying to keep her happy…"

Blue Clad, the one that had been following Alvin, blinked in confusion. "I wasn't going to suggest that…" He sighed. "You know, Brittany really does love you."

"But I don't love her!" Silence. Dead silence. With an answer still expected, Alvin cocked his head around to peer at his counterpart, who had a surprisingly blank expression on his face. Somehow, Alvin seemed angered by this. "Why's she so much more important than me, huh? When the h*** will my feelings matter?"

"She takes your feelings into account a lot more than you do hers!"

A thousand thoughts raced through his mind; each a different way to argue this. Although it was true Alvin could be an awful friend, Brittany could be just as bad. Their friendship had always been this way. She once sabotaged Alvin's microphone to make his voice sound hoarse; but he had also sued her for indirectly wrecking Dave's new bike. She joined the school football team just to spite him; he disguised himself as _Captain Chipmunk_ to humiliate her. She does something; he does something else. And, of course, they were constantly arguing. In the end though, it all evened out. "Whose side are you on?" Alvin shot as a desperate last resort.

"The right side… whichever one that may be." Both boys glared at each other for the longest time, before Blue Clad finally turned his gaze away. "Where were you planning on going, anyway? You know Dave likes us home right after school to take care of Theodore."

"I don't know. Maybe to the library. Maybe to Ice 'N Cream. Somewhere nice and quiet I could just think."

"Ice 'N Cream… that sounds pretty good right about now- mind if I tag along?"

Alvin shrugged his shoulders, as Blue Clad ran to catch up with his friend. The two walked together in silence. Occasionally, Blue Clad would clear his throat to speak, but would then glance at his companion and close his mouth. By the time Alvin felt up to talking again, they were already in town and seated at the ice-cream parlor. "Would you quit looking at me that way?"

"What way?"

Alvin rolled his eyes, as though it should be ridiculously obvious. "That over-analyzing-everything-I-say way. I feel like I'm a psychiatric patient or something."

Blue Clad leaned back in his seat, trying to take this all in. "What happened between you and Brittany?"

"You know perfectly well what happened."

"No I don't." As though trying to make a point, Blue Clad forced their gaze to meet. "All I know is what Eleanor told me; that you rejected her."

"That's pretty much all that happened." Alvin grinned, embellishing in his own cleverness.

* * *

><p>"<em>Girl talk!" Sundress announced. Without hesitation, she and Jeanette were to their feet, dragging Brittany along behind them. They needed to get her away from the boys; so they showed her from the lunchroom into the hallway, where they began to question her there. "So what happened?"<em>

"_None of your business!" snapped Brittany._

"_Brittany, we're all friends here," Sundress reassured._

"_Come on, Eleanor. Leave her alone."_

"_But Jeanette…"_

"_If she doesn't want to talk, she doesn't want to talk. Don't put her on the spot."_

_Brittany's eyebrows lowered, turning to a fixed stare in Jeanette's direction. "Jeanette…? Are you using reverse psychology on me?"_

"_No. I really think you should be left alone."_

"_But we could make her happy!" Sundress insisted._

"_I'd be happier if you'd just shut up," Brittany shot._

_Jeanette rolled her eyes. "Nice work, Ele. Very persuasive."_

"_Ugg… Fine," Sundress capitulated, "Let's talk about something else than. Something __nice__!"_

"_What the h*** is 'nice' at this school?" mumbled Brittany._

_Jeanette's eyes suddenly sparkled with excitement. "Boooys!" she exclaimed._

_Immediately, Sundress's face soured, almost as though she had just bit into a lemon. "Ugg, the last person I want to think about is Theodore. He's just a kid… a really sweet and amazing kid, but… he's still just a kid."_

"_Why don't you just ask him out, Ele? You know he likes you."_

"_How can you be so sure? He's probably just being nice!"_

_Jeanette had to smile at this. "The way he looks at you; the way he acts around you; it's different somehow… He really cares about you, Ellie. The things Theo does for you; like that private picnic he planned on Valentine's Day a few years ago, he would never do for Brittany or me."_

"_Alvin used to do that kind of stuff for me," Brittany whispered, looking to the ground as she spoke. Neither Sundress nor Jeanette could tell whether she was talking to them or to herself, but they listened either way. "He would try to impress me so much, but would then deny it if I implied that he liked me… He would come up with all these elaborate schemes to make a move, but would always back out last minute… I never could understand why. It's not like I would have rejected him…"_

"_So he was good to you?" Sundress clarified._

"_Y-yeah…" Brittany answered. Her head dropped even lower, and although she wasn't positive, Jeanette could've sworn a tear was rolling down her cheek._

_They gave her a moment to compose herself before Jeanette decided to change subjects. "So, anyway, Ele, I think you should-"_

"_I told Alvin I love him."_

_ Both girls froze in place and turned wide eyed and open mouthed to face Brittany, who was acting surprisingly calm. She was no longer crying but looked somewhat irritated, if anything. "__Annnnnd__…?" they pressed._

_ "…and he doesn't love me back…"_

"_What?__" Sundress and Jeanette shouted in unison. _

_Sundress stormed back through the cafeteria doors and loomed over the boys; pounding her fist against the table at which they sat. "Alvin, you idiot! How could you be so stupid? How could you say no?"_


	3. Chapter 3

**All I'm going to say about this chapter is that it is the shortest, dullest installment I've ever written. Enough said.**

_The cafeteria had been buzzing with conversation, the day everybody first found out about Alvin and Brittany. He, she, Blue Clad and Jeanette had all been gathered around a small lunch table on the far side of the school café, along with two others. On a normal day, it would have been Alvin and Brittany keeping the table's discussion going; but today they both remained mute. Instead, Jeanette and a small, heavyset girl in a lime sundress were working hard to fill the quiet. Both acted as though they didn't feel the apparent awkwardness of the situation, alternatively choosing to speak of lighter, more trivial matters; such as their plans for homecoming. Jeanette was telling of her arrangements with someone named Simon, while Sundress complained how "he" hadn't asked her to the dance yet. At first, they had been desperately trying to include the others, asking them things like, "what do you think, Brittany?" or "how about it, Alvin?" but quickly realized no one else was talking and limited the conversation to themselves. Alvin and Brittany were too busy sulking, Blue Clad was studying them, and the boy in the Emerald Polo was trying to decide whether or not it was safe to ask what the matter was. The six of them kept doing this, until Sundress eventually gave up on the charade. "What's wrong, Alvin?"_

_Alvin, who had his face buried in his fist, grumbled, "Uggg… Why do people always have to make such a big deal out of things?"_

"_The way you say 'it's not a big deal' is what __makes__ it a big deal," Blue Clad informed. He, himself, had been trying to get a very depressed Alvin to talk all morning, and jumped at the opportunity to explain why._

"_How does that make any sense?" Alvin turned on his counterpart._

"_If you'd just keep calm and tell us nothing's wrong, no one would care."_

"_Alvin is never calm. He's an insensitive jerk." Ten eyes turned to address Brittany, who was just then speaking for the first time that day. There was an awkward silence as they all looked between her and each other, desperately trying to decide how to react._

"_Girl talk!" Sundress finally announced. Without hesitation, she and Jeanette were to their feet, dragging Brittany along behind them; leaving the boys alone._

* * *

><p>The rest of the afternoon was spent together in elusion. Blue Clad never pressed any further, and Alvin didn't try to explain himself. Instead, they finished their ice-cream over meaningless small talk, and went to study at the library there after. While Blue Clad tried to teach Alvin how to solve algorithms, Alvin thought only of Brittany, and what he was supposed to do now. And even more importantly, he thought of what he was going to do now. More than once, Blue Clad contemplated asking Alvin of his cerebration, knowing full well it wasn't of math, but never did. Instead he kept spitting out pointless instruction, and pretty much did all of Alvin's homework for him. They were just about finished when Blue Clad's cell phone began to vibrate in his pocket. He picked it up, and checked the name that flashed across the front of the screen: Jeanette.<p>

"Hello?" he answered.

"Simon!" the voice on the other end panicked. "Brittany's not home!"


	4. Chapter 4

**All righty, guys! Part four is in the house! Just got a few things to note it before we officially start though… First, I had a bit of trouble figuring out the layout of the Seville house. I re-watched several Chipmunk re-runs, specifically the episodes I thought showed the building's overall architectural design, but realized there is no one set layout. In one episode it was painted bright pink, in another it was buttery yellow, more than once it was pure white with green trim, but most the time, it was white with red trim. Sometimes the kitchen was open, sometimes it was closed, and occasionally it was part way open with those cool saloon style swinging doors. I never decided on one of these designs, choosing instead to take the aspect(s) I liked from each and going from there. So, when you don't recognize the house, don't be surprised. That was how I planned it to be.**

**Lastly, this is the part where the story gets a little… skeptical. Suggestive, if you will. If you're either under the age of 13 or one of those people that get riled up about everything (you know who you are) leave this page right now. Maybe go grab yourself a Popsicle. Because if you keep reading and don't like what you see, it's no longer my fault. I've given you your warning; this is my disclaimer.**

"Oh, good, you're here," Jeanette panted as she came to a halt in front of Blue Clad. "Where's Alvin?"

"Went home. He's convinced he's gonna 'prove to Brittany' that he doesn't care about her." He looked between Jeanette and the clearing in the woods. "You're sure she'd be here?" Blue Clad asked as he entered the lakeshore, the same lakeshore they had stopped at earlier in the day, breaking twigs off the undergrowth as he stepped.

"This is where she always goes when she wants to be alone," Jeanette reassured, following her complement into the glade.

"But she went in the other direction!" contested Blue Clad.

"So? She was probably just grabbing something from home."

"Like what?"

"Last time we found her here; she had a razor blade, and was cutting her wrist."

Blue Clad flinched when he heard this. "When was that?"

"Last year- the same day she found out Alvin's dating Charlene."

* * *

><p><em>"It's just… well, what am I supposed to do?"<em>

_Brittany blinked a few times, clearly thrown off-guard by this question. It had been the day before the big lunchroom divulgence, and she and Alvin were standing alone in the stretch of woodlands that divided the high school they attended from the subdivision they lived. Neither knew quite what to say to the other, so they just stood there uncomfortably, not really saying anything. "I don't know," Brittany finally mused. "What do you wanna do?"_

_"Well…" Alvin thought, "would you mind if I said no?" A sad and dejected look flashed across Brittany's face. "It's just, I have Charlene and all, and-"_

_"Didn't you want me before?" she interrupted mid-sentence._

_"Well, I did, but things happened, and now you're just… no."_

_"No?"_

_"No…" He paused. "I'm sorry."_

_"No, no. It's fine."_

_"Did you expect me to…?"_

_"No. Nothing. I just wanted to tell you. To be 'honest' for once…" Her eyes began to mist, so she immediately closed them and smiled weakly. "I'm sure it was pathetically obvious."_

_"Yeah," he laughed. "It really was."_

* * *

><p>The trail ended abruptly, breaking into a small suburb. Brittany seemed to know exactly where she was going, because she didn't hesitate at forest's edge to cut through someone's backyard, head left and continue on her venture. Unlike Alvin, she kept a steady pace as she walked, not trying to run from her problems, but instead enduring them. With each passing step, another mocking jab would come from the little voice inside her head, and she did nothing in attempt to stop it. <em>"Can someone who lives hundreds of miles away … really matter more to you then me?"<em>

_"Yes,"_ he had said. _"I just can't think of anything that involves you…"_

_"Didn't you want me before?"_ she had asked.

_"No,"_ was how he had put it. _"I try to do something nice for you, and I wind up regretting it later!" _She sniveled at the mere thought.

Following the main road down another block, she soon found herself standing before a large, two-story colonial house in the middle of the subdivision. In many ways, it looked exactly like the homes to either side, with the same glossy white paint job and scarlet red roof, but had considerably more shrubbery and foliage about the front yard. Blossoming lilac bushes, blooming daylilies and a somewhat dying dogwood tree greeted her with fake happiness and forced smiles. Choosing to ignore all this, she trudged up the driveway, knocked on the fake wooden paneling that acted as the doorway's casing, and waited for the boy in the emerald polo, Theodore, to answer the door. "Oh. Brittany. Alvin's not home."

"Please… help me," she mustered, her gaze now locked on the threshold separating them from each other.

"Sure. Come on in," shrugged Theodore. He gestured for her to enter, and set Brittany down on the living room sofa while he went in the kitchen to put some water on to boil. He wasn't leaving her alone, for the kitchen was a tiled island, separated from the lounge only by carpeting and four foot cabinets. "So, you and Alvin have another fight?"

"N-no. I mean we…" she started, stuttering.

"You're gonna make this difficult, aren't you?" Theodore asked once he had given her a moment to collect herself. "You really caught me off guard, you know? What do you want me to do?"

"You said he was crazy about me!" she accused.

Theodore grimaced. "Whoops…?"

"He knows now! We're never gonna be the same ever again!" she wailed. "He hates me so much… Please, Theodore! Please help me!" howled Brittany. "Theodore…" she calmed herself, wiping her eyes on her fuchsia over shirt, "you're always so willing to talk to me. I know you can make me feel better… I just don't know what to do…"

"Well, I'm here for you while you figure that one out," he assured, returning from the kitchen and handing her a large mug of hot chocolate, encouraging her to take a sip. She did, but only to please him. It was better than she had anticipated. His cleaver use of chocolate curls as garnishes to decorate the whipped cream, the intriguing mixture of peppermint and vanilla extracts, even the hint of milk he had added to the "just add water" packet made the refreshment extra special.

_Special._ She liked the way that word sounded. _He's made something special for me. He's __done__ something special for me…_

Brittany took another large gulp of hot cocoa, smiled in approval, and waited for Theodore to do the same. Joining her on the couch, he put a comforting arm around her shoulder. "Thank you… You don't know how much that means to me… I just really need somebody right now," she murmured, returning to her thoughts.

…_as if I deserve it… As if I'm worthy… As if I'm special too…_

"Hey, I know something fun we can do," Theodore suddenly interrupted her reflective daze. "Let's play some _Mario Kart®_!" Brittany's only response was a blank stare. "I'm sure I'm way better than you," he added, knowing full well her love for Alvin was compensated only by her more competitive nature. "Come on," he encouraged. "It'll distract you."

Brittany couldn't help herself. She just had to grin. "I don't have to prove anything to you, but alright."

She followed him up the stairwell and down another hall in silence. "Just give me a second to get the _Wii®_ set up," he said once they were safely tucked inside the cinnamon scented sanctuary Theodore fondly referred to as his bedroom. Fiddling with a television and a small white game system, Theodore took the time to quietly congratulate himself on his inspirational genius. Distracting Brittany was, as far as he was concerned, one of the best ideas he had ever had. When he turned back around though, Brittany was sprawled atop his bed, sobbing into his pillow. "…Or we could cry some more…"

By four o'clock, Brittany was still crying, by four thirty, Theodore had her laughing over some humorous childhood stories, and at five fifteen, he was back in the kitchen preparing a homemade pizza for two. He returned to his bedroom with lunch about half an hour later, where he found Brittany cuddling with an old security blanket, silent sobs gently racking her body. It took him until about six ten to get Brittany calm enough to safely leave her unattended, at which point he went to the other side of the room to call Miss Miller, her legal guardian. "Hey. Yeah, Brittany's safe. She's been studying with me and is asleep on the couch," Theodore lied. "Don't worry. She's fine. Just wanted to let you know." He hung up the phone and turned back to Brittany. "Dave'll be out late, so you're safe if you decide to stay. Miss Miller's okay with you hanging out a bit longer, unless of course you want to go home."

"Nghh…"

"Wow. You're a wreck, Brittany," Theodore said, feeling her forehead with the back of his hand. "But you did good. You talked, you vented, even if that did mean crying your eyes out… Doesn't that make you feel even a little bit better?""Yeah…"

"I do hope I helped. I really had fun having you around. I'm glad you trusted me enough to turn to me. Whether you like it or not, people love you, Brittany. Like, a lot." Although he couldn't see it, from beneath the confinement of the bed sheets, Brittany was beginning to hyperventilate. "If you think you're all alone in this, you're seriously mistaken. You'll always have people like Eleanor and Jeanette to knock you back into shape."

"W-what about you? Will you- you know…"

"'Course Brittany. No matter where I am or what I'm doing, you'll always have me."

"Theodore…" She threw her blankets to the side and sat up, forcing him to meet her eyes. They were the color of diamonds. They were so pale in fact, one could easily mistake them for white; although if you looked hard enough it was clear they were actually a pale blue. Her eyes would often frighten the people that beheld them, for they were young and attractive, yet aged and withered, having seen more pain and suffering than ever needed. Yes, there was a lot going on behind those eyes: depression, desperation, hurt, need, love, lust…

Her face was now inches from his, her warm breath nuzzling against his cheek, which was flushing with embarrassment. Brittany leaned into him, closing the distance between her body and his own. Upon first contact, Theodore's mind went blank, unable to register anything other than the soft feeling of his lips against hers, and it took him a moment to realize that he should be doing more than just sitting there, so he cautiously began to respond. Inching his tongue forward, he gently started to massage her lower lip while slowly forcing her mouth open, proceeding to explore the inside. It was sweet, it was tart, it was wet, it was slimy, it was many different things, none of which he had expected. But even so, he enjoyed it. He enjoyed it very much. Theodore was more than content with taking the time to simply enjoy the new sensations and emotions this kiss had unleashed.

"Mmmm," he moaned. Quickly he eased back into relaxation, and went in for another once their bodies were pried apart. Pushing him away, Brittany began to lavish her attention along Theodore's collar bone, nipping, licking, kissing and sucking at the skin there, gradually forcing him to recline on the bed as she straddled his chest. Coming down to join him, she pulled the ribbon binding her ponytail, allowing her auburn hair to cascade down her shoulder blades and curtain them from the outside world.

"Hah… Aaa… Aah…" they panted between kisses. Theodore could feel himself getting hard, knocking himself against Brittany's leg through his shorts. Praying she didn't notice, he returned for more kisses, as Brittany brushed his lips with the "one second" sign. She slid out of both her over and under shirts, then began to fiddle with the clasp on the back of her bra.

"Wait! Stop! Hold it! Seriously, this is way too much," Theodore warned.

"Why? What's wrong with me?" gasped Brittany, who quit playing with her clothes.

"Absolutely nothing! You just don't realize how sexual you're being! Brittany, you're not yourself. You will regret it, I promise you!"

She leaned forward, pushing him back on the bed. "I lost Alvin. I can't lose you, too. Won't doing this make you stay?"

"I can't go too far… I can't… Brittany, I can't! I can't hurt you!"

Her lips drove toward his ear. "You won't… I promise… I need you… I can't lose you, too… Please, Theodore…"

"You're not thinking straight…"

"Please Theodore…" she seduced. "Just one more kiss… Just one more small, innocent kiss…"


	5. Chapter 5

_If it had been a year earlier, Theodore and Sundress would have been among them, walking down the warm summer road. As it were though, both were enrolled in a cooking class at the local skills center, in which they would get out of school an hour early in exchange for the later lessons. So the walk home had henceforth become reserved exclusively for Alvin, Brittany, Blue Clad and Jeanette._

_On rainy days they would often take the bus, but when it was nice out, like it was today, they could just take the shortcut through the woods. It only took about fifteen minutes to get from place to place, in comparison to a half an hour bus ride. These walks, which had begun a chore, had actually evolved into something to look forward to. For Alvin, it was a time to unwind after long, harsh days of schooling, and a way to get his football coach to quit complaining about his lack of exercise. For Brittany, it was a time to flirt with Alvin, without the uncomfortable feeling of someone perpetually eavesdropping. And as for Blue Clad and Jeanette, it was a scheduled time to hold hands and spend together. On this particular day however, an earsplitting silence pounded between Alvin and Brittany. Deafened by their infatuation of one another, Blue Clad and Jeanette strolled at a steady pace, unphased, while Brittany and Alvin trailed behind awkwardly. Brittany had been acting strange all day, going suspiciously far out of her way to, what she would later be quoted as "coincidently running into" Alvin, and then garble her words until she choked on them. At first it had left Alvin reason to worry, but quickly turned irritating and then eventually to just being enough. "Brittany?" he finally asked._

"_Huh?" She looked up from the dust she was kicking to lock eyes with her now glaring friend._

"_Can we have a conversation today where you __aren't__ being difficult?"_

"_Uhh…" Forcing her attention away from the boy she had been needing to talk with, Brittany checked to make sure Blue Clad and Jeanette were still shrinking in the distance. She wasn't quite sure how this was going to play out, and the last thing she needed was an audience._

"_Something's up."_

"_N-no…"_

"_C'mon. Out with it," Alvin insisted. _

"_Umm…"_

"_Brittany!" He was practically scolding her now._

"_Uh, Alvin… I think you're…" she started, rocking back and forth on her feet._

"_Stupid? Annoying? Whiney?" he guessed._

"_N-no. You're really…" Clutching her textbook tighter in her arms, Brittany braced herself for the worst. "You're kind'a cool."_

_Any frustrations Alvin may have had melted upon contact. "What? Really?" _

"_Yeah… All those things I always call you? That's not you. Sure you can be annoying, and you are pretty stupid most the time, but-"_

"_Britt?" Irritation began to creep back into his voice. "Just get to the point."_

"_Alvin?" Her whole body shook as she spoke. "I love you."_

"_What?"_

"_I love you."_

"_You do?"_

_She sighed. "Yes."_

"_Well," Alvin stuttered, "o-okay."_

"_Okay?"_

"_It's just… Well, what am I supposed to do?"_

**Notice anything different? I've started putting my Author's Notes at the end of my stories! Apparently many unofficial studies conducted by various Fanfiction writers' state that you're more likely to get readers and reviews if you put author's notes towards the end. Go figure.**

**If you're still reading this, thanks for reading! I've put a lot of time and energy into this story and would love to hear from you. So if you have time and have an opinion or a suggestion, please review or private message me. I'll be more than happy to listen to anything you have to say (relevant to **_**Wounded Hearts**_**).**

**Oh, and I almost forgot, yes, I am aware that I refer to the trail in the woods as "the warm summer road" when I clearly state in the first chapter that "it is mid-autumn". I don't literally mean "summer" when I say "summer"- I use the term loosely as a symbolic representation of the weather, not to be taken too far beyond face value or out of context.**


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